Holmwood Technical’s outstanding quarter-miler Rickiann Russell says she is determined to leave this year’s Inter-secondary Schools Sports Association/Girls’ Championships with a bang by breaking the Class One 400 metres record at the five-day championships.

Russell, the captain of the Holmwood team, has been in excellent form this season. She won the Central Championships title in a personal best time of 51.73 seconds at the G C Foster College in St Catherine last month.

The 19-year-old Russell told the Jamaica Observer that based on the form that she is in going into the Champs, she is confident that she can break Sonita Sutherland’s 400m record of 51.13.

“Yes, I am going after the 400 metres record because my current personal best is 51.73, so I want to run a much faster time at Champs and that will be to break the Champs record this year,” said Russell.

“I know that it is well within my reach and so all I have to do is to go out there and execute my race plan and it will come,” she said.

Russell, who has been a part of Holmwood’s 4x400m relay teams for the past four years, did not make the podium in neither the 200m and 400m events at last year’s Girls’ Championships.

The lanky Russell, also set to compete in the 200m event at the championships, said she will not take her opponents lightly.

“I am not underestimating anyone because anything can happen over the five days of competition. But, I am feeling confident and motivated because I have been running well all season. This is my final year at Champs and so I would like to leave my mark on the championships and to give my school as [many] points as I can in the 200 metres and 400 metres events,” she said.

Holmwood finished fourth at the last two Girls’ Championships, but Russell stated they have a very rounded team and she believes that they will finish much higher in the points standings this year.

“I think we can move up in the standings this year as long as we do what we are expected to do, we can do well and even win the title this year. We have a very strong team and we have been doing fairly well in all areas.

“Our coaches have been working with us and we have been training very hard and they have been motivating us to do our best,” she said.

The Championships is scheduled to run from March 28 to April 1 at the National Stadium.